Sunday, May 31, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Katlyn Chookagian vs Antonina Shevchenko
Gere's the match video of Katlyn Chookagian vs Antonina Shevchenko from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. The last time we saw Katlyn she lost a title shot to Valentina Shevchenko. I guess someone at the UFC thought it would be funny to have Katlyn face Valentina's older sister Antonina. And Antonina was the betting favorite to win this fight. I don't think she is good enough to be in the UFC. Katlyn normally uses this keep away strategy that was not effective against Valentina. Instead she goes for her first ever takedown and controls the first two rounds. The only problem is she comes close to a finish but fails to get it. And then she lets Antonina off the hook in round three and plays it safe. Katlyn won the fight 30-25. But not getting a finish is a major fail. A fighter has to go for the finish when the opportunity presents itself. She got away with that in this fight. But I doubt she would have the same luck against better competition. And Katlyn said afterwards that she is planning to take time off to start a family. So time's a-wastin'. Enjoy the video!
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Mackenzie Dern vs Hannah Cifers
Here's the match video of Mackenzie Dern vs Hannah Cifers from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Of course Mackenzie is a two time world BJJ champ. She's great on the ground but her striking isn't so good. Hannah was known for her punching power in regional MMA. She just doesn't seem to have that in the UFC. She also doesn't seem to have the IQ needed to be in the UFC. She needed to keep the fight standing. Once Mackenzie got it to the ground, Hannah made a couple of really stupid mistakes and she tapped out to a kneebar of all things. Apparently this was the very first leg submission in women's MMA in the UFC. And Mackenzie got a bonus for that. I think it was the result of Hannah not knowing what she was doing. She shouldn't be in the UFC. We saw what happened when Mackenzie fought an elite fighter like Amanda Ribas. That's the kind of fighter she will have to beat to get a sniff of the Strawweight title. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Luis Miguel
Song:Entregate
Album:Grandes Exitos
Luis Miguel was probably the most successful Spanish language singer in the 90s. Entregate was one of his first number one hits in 1990. He had 14 number one hits in the 90s and he was a huge live attraction. He was born Apr. 19, 1970 in San Juan, PR. Miguel first recorded for EMI when he was 11 years old. His father and manager told him to emulate Elvis Presley. He recorded four albums for EMI which included duets with Sheena Easton. But Miguel wasn't getting along with his father. He fired him and signed with Warner Music in 1987. And that's when Miguel really began to have success. Entregate is from the 1990 album 20 Anos which signified that Miguel was an adult. The album was a huge success and Entregate was one of two Latin chartoppers. The album was produced and written by Juan Carlos Calderon. Calderon was from Spain. He was a singer songwriter in the 70s and he produced Maria Conchita Alonso in the 80s. She is known here as an actress. She was a big singing star in Europe. 20 Anos was recorded with Los Angeles session musicians like Jerry Hey and Robbie Buchannan. The guitar solo on Entregate is by Paul Jackson Jr. Warner got Miguel to record English versions of some of his songs. But Miguel wasn't happy with the results so he stopped doing it. One would think with his rep as the Latin Sinatra he would want to cross over to the mainstream but he hasn't tried to do that. Miguel continued to have success in the 90s with 14 number one hits. This 2CD comp covers his Warner recordings. Miguel still records occasionally but he isn't as active as he used to be. His latest album was released in 2017. He signed to produce Luis Miguel: The Series which aired on Telemundo in 2018 and is available on Netflix. It's been renewed for a second season. It looks like Miguel is winding down a very successful career. Here's the video for Entregate by Luis Miguel.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Leon Patillo
Song:Flesh Of My Flesh
Album:The Definitive Collection
Leon Patillo started out in the late 60s as a funk musician. He was a member of Santana in the 70s. In the 80s he was a popular CCM artist. Flesh Of My Flesh is a popular wedding song. He was born Jan. 1, 1947 in San Francisco. In the late 60s he formed the group Leon's Creation which became Creation. They were similar to Sly and the Family Stone. Patillo was lead singer and he wrote most of the songs. After an unsuccessful 1974 album on Atco, Creation split up. After appearing on albums by Martha Reeves and Funkadelic, he joined Santana for the 1974 album Borboletta. Patillo sang, played piano and wrote songs. At the time, Carlos Santana was attempting to transition to jazz fusion. Patillo wrote some gospel style songs for the 1976 album Festival. He decided to leave Santana and sign with Word's Myrrh label. And in the 80s he became a very successful CCM artist. He even had his own show on TBN called Leon and Friends. Flesh Of My Flesh is from Patillo's 1981 album Don't Give In. Apparently it's a very popular wedding song. The producer was Frank "Skip" Konte. He was a member of the 60s group Blues Image. He got into producing CCM in the late 70s. Patillo remained with Myrrh through the 80s. This comp is a good intro to his music. Patillo is black but Word marketed him to CCM as opposed to gospel. Myrrh was Word's CCM label. There were black and white artists on that label. So I think their thinking was selling to young people who go to Christian book stores and watch The 700 Club. Patillo's music straddled the line between gospel and CCM. After leaving Myrrh, Patillo started his own label and he pastored his own church in Long Beach, CA. He retired in 2009 but he still tours and leads services on his website. He last released new music in 2005. Here's the video for Flesh Of My Flesh by Leon Patillo.
Friday, May 29, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast May 29, 2020
Hikaru Shida, Io Shirai, UFC preview and RIP Hana Kimura.
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green vs Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai
Here's the match video of Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green vs Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai from this week's episode of NXT. On June 7 Charlotte, Rhea and Io will be in a three way match for the NXT Women's Championship. This is the kind of pointless timewaster that the WWE likes to do to create tension. Rhea and Io hate each other so gave them team up. And Charlotte gets to choose a mystery partner. The match is nothing special. But it accomplishes what the WWE wants when Io accidentally hits Rhea and then Charlotte rolls up Io with her feet on the ropes. I hate it when the ref looks like a moron. And the funniest thing is that afterwards Chelsea fired her manager Robert Stone. Enjoy the video but try not to use logic while watching it.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sonny Clark
Song:Cool Struttin'
Album:Four Classic Albums
Blue Note is not only known for jazz but also iconic album covers. And this cover of the 1958 album Cool Struttin' is one of the most popular album covers. Other than that pianist Conrad "Sonny" Clark would be forgotten because he died young. The Cool Struttin' album cover has kept his memory alive. He was born July 21, 1931 in the coal mining town of Herminie, PA. It's near Pittsburgh. His parents were originally from Stone Mountain, GA. His dad died from lung disease two weeks after Clark was born. He was the youngest of eight kids. There was a black owned hotel in the town and Clark played piano there as a child and he also played in church. Clark's main influence was Bud Powell. He moved to California and played with Wardell Gray and Oscar Pettiford. He joined clarinetist Buddy DeFranco's band in 1953 and stayed for three years. He was also in Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars. Clark toured with Dinah Washington so he could move to New York. He became part of the Blue Note Records house band. He was a very popular sideman. He made his debut as a leader with the 1957 album Dial "S" For Sonny. But his most popular album is Cool Struttin'. This is mostly because of the album cover. The legs belong to Blue Note founder Alfred Lion's wife. The photo was taken by Blue Note staff photographer Francis Wolff and it was designed by Reid Miles who designed many Blue Note covers. Fortunately Cool Struttin' is a great album with Jackie McLean on alto sax, Art Farmer on trumpet, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Avid has released four Sonny Clark albums in one package and it's available as a budget CD. The albums are Dial "S" For Sonny (1957) with Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller and Hank Mobley, Sonny Clark Trio with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones and Leapin' and Lopin' (1961) with Tommy Turrentine and Charlie Rouse. That was Clark's final Blue Note album. Sonny Clark died on Jan. 13, 1963 at age 31. The official cause of death was a heart attack but it is likely that he died from a heroin overdose as he was an addict. Here's a video of Cool Struttin' by Sonny Clark.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Christi Jaynes
Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Christi Jaynes from last night's episode of AEW Dynamite. Christi is billed as from Brazil but it looks like she is actually from Austin, TX. She's been a wrestler since 2015 and she has worked in Mexico and in Stardom Japan. This is her second AEW match. She looks pretty rough at times. I would describe this match as a semi-competitive squash. Like the other joshi wrestlers, Hikaru will not do a squash match so stop complaining about it. She wants her opponent to look good. But other than her dancing, there isn't much good about Christi. She probably shouldn't be wrestling on TV. After some really rough attempts at offense by Christi, Hikaru wins with a knee to the back of her head. BTW, as Jim Ross mentioned, Hikaru now has a Youtube channel. After winning the other night, she indulged in some junk food. She did not eat a pint of ice cream but she ate a lot of tater tots. Hikaru's Youtube channel is called SHIDAtube. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-ZOEgirl
Song:You Get Me
Album:The Ultimate Collection
ZOEgirl was a very successful CCM girl group. Their music is standard pop rock except all the lyrics are based on scripture. I think their music blurs the lines between religious and secular music. But there was never an attempt to cross them over to pop. ZOEgirl is from Nashville. Norman Miller who manages Avalon and other CCM acts decided in 1999 he wanted to form a girl group. He knew Alisa Girard's family. She is the daughter of Chuck Girard of the 70s CCM group Love Song. Once Alisa agreed to form a group, Lynn Nichols was hired to help put the group together and produce the album. He was a long time member of Phil Keaggy's band and he has produced plenty of CCM acts. They brought in Kristin Swinford who had been in a jazz group. They wanted a third member. So Kristin called her friend Chrissy Conway and they signed with Sparrow Records. They wanted to call themselves ZOE but that was already taken so they settled on ZOEgirl. All three wrote songs and sang. After topping the CCM chart with the 2001 single With All Of My Heart, they decided to go for a more mature pop sound with the 2003 album Different Kind Of Free. Veteran CCM producer Tedd "Tedd T" Tjornhom was brought in to help. Most of the songs were written by all three girls along with Nichols and Tjornhom. You Get Me reached #2 on the CCM charts. Chrissy wrote the song with her husband James Katina from the CCM group The Katinas. After one more album, ZOEgirl split up. You can get all their hits on this 2CD comp. All three have raised families. Alisa released a 2007 solo album and then formed Girard with her sisters and nieces. They released one album. Chrissy and Kristin formed the group COLMANblue with Kelli Trontel. They released a single and toured with The Katinas. But they split up after Kristin had a difficult but ultimately successful pregnancy. In a 2011 interview on The Brian Mason Show, ZOEgirl announced plans to record a lullaby album. That never happened and it looks like all three are retired from the music business. Chrissy runs a photography business. Here's the video for You Get Me by ZOEgirl.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Juvenile
Song:Slow Motion
Album:The Greatest Hits
The 2004 single Slow Motion is to date the only number one hit for rapper Terius "Juvenile" Gray. This came at the end of his contract with Cash Money and he hasn't had the same success elsewhere. He was born Mar. 26, 1975 in New Orleans. He was part of the early 90s "bounce" craze that mixed gangster rap and party music. After appearing on a couple of singles by DJ Jimi, Gray released his 1994 debut CD Being Myself on Warlock Records. But "bounce" went nowhere outside New Orleans. So Gray had to go back to the drawing board. He signed with Cash Money in 1997 and released his 1997 CD Solja Rags. He was also in Hot Boys with B.G., Turk and Lil Wayne and they released a CD. Gray had success with his 1998 album 400 Degreez and the hit single Back That Azz Up which reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 4XPlatinum. His two subsequent albums did not do as well. The time comes for Gray and his manager to work out a new deal with Cash Money. They agree to release the 2003 album Juve The Great but that was the final album of Gray's contract. Slow Motion topped the charts in 2004 and the album was certified Platinum. Slow Motion was produced by Dani Kartel and recorded with rapper James "Soulja Slim" Tapp. Tapp was murdered on Nov. 26, 2003 in front of his parents house. So the single was released after his death and the video was a tribute. Despite the success, Gray left Cash Money for Atlantic. And Cash Money released this comp CD. His 2006 album Reality Check was certified Gold. But there was no big hit single and after a second album didn't do as well, Gray left Atlantic and recorded a couple of albums on his own label with E1 distribution. After two albums on Rap-A-Lot, Gray returned to Cash Money and released the 2019 CD Just Another Gangsta with Birdman. Here's the video for Slow Motion by Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim. This video is not on Youtube.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Vanessa Williams
Song:Love Is
Album:Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years
Love Is was a top five pop hit in 1993. It appeared on the soundtrack album of the popular TV series Beverly Hills 90210 which was very popular with teens. It is not part of either artist's standard discography. So it's what I call an orphan. The song was a big enough hit that music fans want to know how to get it. The story here is Vanessa had just scored her first #1 single with Save The Best For Last. So it was a no brainer for Beverly Hills 90210 creator Darren Star and executive producers Kenneth Miller and Irving Azoff to want her on the soundtrack. There are different ways to do these kind of soundtracks. In this case, the artists were contracted and they used their usual producers. The album was very successful as Beverly Hills 90210 spawned two additional soundtrack albums. The first single Saving Forever For You by Shanice reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Love Is was the second single. Vanessa and Brian McKnight were both on Mercury Records. The difference was that Vanessa was already a star and McKnight had just released his debut album. Love Is turned out to be his first big hit. Producer Gerry Brown had worked with both. The song was written by veteran singer songwriter Tonio K. along with John Keller and Michael Caruso. McKnight wouldn't score his first solo hit until Back At One in 1999. So I don't know if Love Is helped him much. The Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack is still available. But Love Is appears on Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight comp CDs. I recommend this Vanessa Williams comp because it is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Love Is by Vanessa Williams featuring Brian McKnight.
Monday, May 25, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lee Morgan
Song:Easy Living
Album:Complete Introducing Sessions
The success of the documentary I Called Him Morgan has got music fans trying to figure out which albums to buy. Mostly they are settling on his Blue Note albums like Sidewinder. The 1956 album Introducing Lee Morgan was his debut. It was on Savoy Records and the other odd thing is it was supposed to be a Hank Mobley album. At the time Morgan was in Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band which is where he met Mobley. Mobley recorded the album The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley in Jan. 1956. The album that became Introducing Lee Morgan was recorded in Nov. 1956. Then both guys recorded for Blue Note. Morgan had just recorded his Blue Note debut album Lee Morgan Indeed!. Savoy decided to jump the gun and release what was supposed to be a Hank Mobley album as Introducing Lee Morgan. Both guys were leaving and this was a way for Savoy to stick it to Blue Note. Musicians are Hank Jones on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Art Taylor on drums. This recording of the jazz standard Easy Living is mostly a Jones piano solo. Morgan and Mobley are on it briefly. At the time, Morgan was still developing his sound and he sounds a lot like Clifford Brown. He developed his own sound after joining Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1958. The Spanish label Lone Hill Jazz released this Complete Introducing Sessions CD with bonus tracks that appeared on Hank Mobley's 1957 album Jazz Message No. 2. The album is certainly not Lee Morgan at his peak. But you can get a good sense of his development. When they recorded for Blue Note in the 60s, Morgan and Mobley appeared on each other's albums frequently. Here's a video of Easy Living by Lee Morgan with Hank Mobley.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Nyla Rose
Here's the match video of Nyla Rose defending her AEW Women's Championship against Hikaru Shida. This was a No DQ No Countout match but the pinfall had to be in the ring. AEW makes the same mistake with Nyla that the WWE makes with Nia Jax. Size is not enough to compensate for the lack of ring skills. The opponent needs to have superior ring skills. Hikaru isn't as good as Asuka. But she is good. And AEW has deliberately undersold her and oversold Nyla as a monster. So that's the setup and I thought they delivered a really good match. The pattern was Nyla and her power moves and Hikaru refusing to stay down and eventually winning with a Falcon Arrow from the top rope and a Shining Wizard for the win. One of the big spots had Nyla dumping Hikaru onto a poker table. Other than a couple of broadcast truck glitches, the broadcast was OK. The commentary put over Hikaru as double tough which they haven't done in the past. Hikaru wore new gear based on the character Tifa in the Final Fantasy VII video game. I don't know anything about video games so I had to look that up. And BTW, Hikaru makes her own costumes. She recently Tweeted a video of herself at the sewing machine. Congratulations to Hikaru Shida for winning the AEW Women's Championship. I expect Nyla will get a rematch in an episode of Dynamite. Britt Baker will be out for a couple of months with a knee injury meaning she doesn't need surgery. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Andrews Sisters
Song:Bei Mir Bist du Schon
Album:Their All-Time Greatest Hits
The Andrews Sisters were the most popular vocal group of the 1940s, especially during WWII. Though it's not their best remembered song, this 1938 English version of the Yiddish theater song Bei Mir Bist du Schon was their first number one hit. LaVerne, Maxene and Patty Andrews were from Minneapolis. Their father owned a restaurant. They started performing as children and they won local talent contests. LaVerne played piano accompanying silent films in exchange for dance lessons. When dad's restaurant closed, they went on the road to support the family. They toured vaudeville with guys like Leon Belasco and Larry Rich. Initially they were imitating the popular group The Boswell Sisters. They signed with Decca in 1937. Bei Mir Bist du Schon was their second single and it topped the hit parade. Bei Mir Bist du Schon was written by Jacob Jacobs and Shalom Secunda for the 1932 Yiddish musical I Would If I Could. There are conflicting stories about how Sammy Cahn wrote the English lyrics. Vic Schoen was in Leon Belasco's band with The Andrews Sisters. He got them into Decca and he produced the record. Supposedly Schoen actually wrote the lyrics but agreed to put Cahn's name on it to sell sheet music. Schoen went on to produce many hits for The Andrews Sisters including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in 1941. That is probably The Andrews Sisters' signature song. You can get all their hits on this 2CD budget comp. After WWII, The Andrews Sisters faded and Patty left to go solo in 1951. They reunited in 1955 and signed with Capitol Records. Though they didn't have any more hit singles, they continued to appear on TV until LaVerne died in 1967. The Andrews Sisters had a career resurgence when Bette Midler had a hit with Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in 1973. And that version is probably what makes that song The Andrews Sisters' most memorable hit. Patty and Maxene attempted touring. But they didn't get along. LaVerne was the peacemaker. The two split up. Maxene became a cabaret performer. She died in 1995. Patty appeared as a panelist on The Gong Show and toured solo as well. She died in 2013. Here's The Andrews Sisters performing Bei Mir Bist du Schon and South America, Take It Away on Shower of Stars Dec. 15, 1955.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Natacha Atlas
Song:Eye of the Duck
Album:The Best of Natacha Atlas
Natacha Atlas has mixed Euro Dance with her Egyptian heritage and had success in European dance clubs. Most of her success was in the early 2000s and this comp covers that period. She was born Mar. 20, 1964 in Brussels, Belgium. Her father is Egyptian. After her parents divorced, Natacha moved to Northampton, England with her mother. She moved back to Belgium and started her music career there. Then she moved back to England and worked with former Public Image Ltd. bassist Jah Wobble and she became lead singer of Transglobal Underground (TU). Her early solo albums were produced by Tim Whelan and Hamilton Lee of TU. She has also worked with among others David Arnold, Jean Michel Jarre and Nigel Kennedy. Natacha signed with the Beggars Banquet label Mantra in 1999. And with the 2003 album Something Dangerous she attempted to cross over to mainstream. Though she wasn't able to get that hit single in England to get to the next level, she continues to be successful in clubs. She wrote and produced all the songs with various producers. Eye of the Duck was produced by Mike Nielsen. He produced four tracks on the album. The guest singers are Julie "Princess Julianna" Higgins who is normally a songwriter and backup singer and and rapper Godfrey "T.U.U.P." Duncan. This 2005 comp was released by Mantra after Natacha left the label. Natacha currently records for the British label Whirlwind and her latest CD Strange Days was released in 2019. Apparently it's a jazz album. Her producer is Samy Bishai and they have been in a relationship since 2010. Here's Natacha Atlas performing Eye of the Duck in London 2003. This is from the 2005 DVD Transglobal Underground which is available.
Friday, May 22, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Erik Truffaz
Song:Less
Album:Original Album Series
French trumpeter Erik Truffaz will likely remind you of Miles Davis early 70s jazz fusion. Less is from his 2000 album The Mask. He was born Apr. 3, 1960 in Chene-Bougeries, Switzerland and he grew up in France. His father played sax and Truffaz was ten years old when he started playing in his dad's dance band. Then he listened to the 1959 Miles Davis classic Kind of Blue. So now Truffaz knows who he wants to be and he studied at the Geneva Conservatoire. He was also in the band Orange. That's where he met long time drummer Marc Erbetta. After winning France's coveted Prix Special jazz award in 1991, Truffaz made his recording debut as a leader on the 1992 album Nina Valena on the Swiss label Planisphere. He signed with EMI France in 1996. And that led to a US deal with Blue Note. Less is from the 2000 album The Mask which was his first album released in the US. Musicians are Patrick Muller on keyboards, Marcello Giuliani on bass and Marc Erbetta on drums. Truffaz recorded with other musicians but this was his main band for at least a decade. Truffaz mixes straight jazz with fusion and hip hop elements. Blue Note recognized that he had crossover potential. so they decided to release an album of remixes of the songs from The Mask called Revisite. Less was remixed by Swiss producer Pierre Audetat. Truffaz recorded for Blue Note until 2010. Around that time Muller was replaced by Benoit Corboz. He now records for Warner Music and Rhino has released five of Truffaz' Blue Note albums in a box set. The Mask and Revisite are both included so you don't have to choose. His latest CD Lune Rouge was released in 2019 still with Corboz and Giuliani. Arthur Hnatek replaced Erbetta. Here's the video for Less by Erik Truffaz.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley
Here's the match video of Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley from this week's episode of NXT. As I said last week, I expected Charlotte Flair to get involved to set up a three way match for the NXT Women's Championship on the upcoming Takeover. Yes the booking is predictable but it's the correct booking to get the belt off of Charlotte. The match was about what I expected. It was competitive. The end came when Io hit a 619 followed by a springboard dropkick. Rhea rolled to the floor and then Charlotte came out. Io's flying headscissors knocked Rhea into Charlotte. And then of course Charlotte laid them both out and Io won by DQ. It hasn't been announced but I expect a three way match at NXT Takedown. Enjoy the video!. Excuse the Spanish commentary.
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nyla Rose and Britt Baker vs Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida
Here's the match video of Nyla Rose and Britt Baker vs Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida from last night's AEW Dynamite. This is supposed to set up Nyla defending her AEW Women's Championship against Hikaru in a No DQ match. The story they are trying to sell is I guess they think Hikaru is too cute to be a hardcore wrestler. Of course she did plenty of hardcore stuff in Japan. So this match is a mess with ass backward booking for the finish. Britt refused to tag in until Nyla forced the issue. Then we have a spot where Hikaru and Kris body slam Nyla on top of Britt in the corner. It looked like Britt hurt her knee and we don't know if she will be available to wrestle on Saturday's show. it looks bad. The finish had Nyla pinning Hikaru after her power bomb. Then Nyla brings a table into the ring. Obviously she plans to put Hikaru through the table. But Kris stops her and Hikaru superplexes Nyla through the table. So that's supposed to show that Hikaru can be hardcore. Like I said, it was ass backwards. So we will see what happens on Saturday. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lowen & Navarro
Song:We Belong
Album:Walking on a Wire
The songwriting duo of Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro had a big hit when Pat Benetar recorded their song We Belong in 1984. They started recording as a duo with the 1990 album Walking on a Wire. Navarro is the cousin of Dave Navarro of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lowen & Navarro met in 1978 when they were singing waiters at a Los Angeles restaurant. They started writing together while they were in the band Bon Mot. They got their big break when their song We Belong was a top five hit for Pat Benetar in 1984. This got them opportunities to write for films and they wrote several songs for the girl group Bangles. Meanwhile Lowen performed with his band 20 Times. In 1988 they started performing as Lowen & Navarro. They got some buzz playing Los Angeles clubs and that led to a record deal with the new label Chameleon Records started by former Capitol A&R exec Stephen Powers. Their debut album was Walking on a Wire in 1990. They recorded We Belong on the album with some Spanish lyrics. The problem was Chameleon was not successful. Lowen & Navarro left and signed with Mercury's Parachute label. Walking on a Wire was re-released in 1994 with bonus tracks. After releasing two more albums, Mercury closed Parachute and Lowen & Navarro started their own Red Hen label. Lowen was diagnosed with ALS in 2004. Lowen & Navarro knew they had limited time but they continued to record and perform. They performed together for the final time in 2009 and then released a CD to benefit ALS charities. Eric Lowen died on Mar. 23, 2012 at age 60. Navarro released an album last year. Here's Lowen & Navarro performing We Belong Mar. 2007.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Citizen King
Song:Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out)
Album:Gone in 60 Seconds: Original Soundtrack
The 1999 single Better Days was the only chart single for Citizen King. They only recorded one album for Warner Bros. and then they split up. You may have heard the song in the 2000 film Gone in 60 Seconds. Citizen King were from Milwaukee. They formed in 1993 out of the ashes of their previous band Wild Kingdom. Keyboard player Dave Cooley and lead singer Matt "Mount" Sims wrote all the songs and Cooley produced. Other members were Kristian Riley on guitar, DJ Brooks on drums and Malcolm Michiles on turntables. They had a couple of bassists but Sims took that over in 1997. Their music was alt rock with hip hop elements like the turntables. If that reminds you of Fishbone, Cooley was a big fan and Citizen King later toured with Fishbone. The band was having success locally when they were spotted by Todd "Speech" Thomas of Arrested Development and he agreed to produce the 1995 album Brown Bag. While touring with Fishbone, they got a record deal with Warner Bros. Cooley and Sims wrote and produced the 1999 album Mobile Estates with Eric Valentine. Better Days reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared in the pilot episode of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle and in the 2000 film Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage which is available on CD. Apparently the song is frequently miscredited to the band Sublime. So I think it's a song that fans have heard but they don't know who recorded it. Better Days was Citizen King's only chart single. It looks like they tired of constant touring and they split up in 2002. Dave Cooley owns Elysian Masters in Los Angeles. He does a lot of remastering of archival recordings including Isaac Hayes and Bob Marley. He has produced Silversun Pickups and Ziggy Marley among others. Mount Sims released a few solo albums and had his own band for a while. It looks like he could be out of the music business. 2011 was the last time he released anything. Here's the video for Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) by Citizen King.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jim Dale
Song:Every Little Piece
Album:Pete's Dragon: Original Soundtrack
Jim Dale is a versatile performer best known for winning a Tony award for starring in the 1980 Broadway musical Barnum. He is also a Grammy winner and an Oscar nominee. He played the villain Dr. Terminus in the 1977 Disney film Pete's Dragon. He was born James Smith Aug. 15, 1935 in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, England. Dale trained as a ballet dancer but he made his stage debut as a comic in 1951. He served for two years in the Royal Air Force mostly entertaining troops. A 1957 TV appearance got him a record deal with Parlophone and producer George Martin. He had some success with singles like Be My Girl. But it didn't last and he was a has been by 1961. He then appeared in several of the Carry On films. He was Oscar nominated for writing the theme for the 1966 film Georgy Girl with Tom Springfield. It was a big hit for The Seekers. Dale wrote other songs for films and released a couple of albums. Dale was nominated for a Tony for the 1975 show Scapino. And that got him the role of Dr. Terminus in the 1977 Disney film Pete's Dragon. This was a mixed live action and animated film starring Sean Marshall as Pete along with Helen Reddy and Mickey Rooney. Dale played the villain Dr. Terminus and Red Buttons played his assistant. Every Little Piece is one of two songs that they perform in the film. It was soon after that Dale was cast in the 1980 Broadway show Barnum. He won a Tony and I think it's fair to say that it is his most successful role. Though Dale continues to appear on stage, screen and TV, he is probably best known for narrating all seven Harry Potter audiobooks. He has won Grammys for those. That led to voice work on video games and he was the off screen narrator in the TV series Pushing Daisies. Here's Jim Dale with Red Buttons performing Every Little Piece in the 1977 film Pete's Dragon.
Monday, May 18, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-At The Drive-In
Song:One Armed Scissor
Album:This Station Is Non-Operational
Punk music fans will want to check out the post hardcore band At The Drive-In. The 2000 single One Armed Scissor is their best known song. They split up in 2001 and reformed in 2015. They are currently on hiatus. At The Drive-In are from El Paso, TX. They were formed in 1994 by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Jim Ward. The other original members did not remain in the band. After releasing a couple of EPs and a 1996 album, they solidified their lineup for the next few years. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez switched from bass to guitar and they added Paul Hinojos on bass and Tony Hajjar on drums. After their record label closed, the 1998 album In/Casino/Out was released on Fearless Records. Then they got a big break. Producer Ross Robinson got At The Drive-In a major label deal with the Beastie Boys owned label Grand Royal with Capitol distribution. Robinson is best known for producing Korn. They had their greatest success with the 2000 album Relationship of Command and especially the single One Armed Scissor. Robinson even got Iggy Pop to make a guest appearance on the album. They appeared on the major talk shows. But the band was unhappy with the compromises that were made for commercial reasons. They were on tour when they split up in 2001. There was internal conflict over the band's musical direction. This comp was released in 2005 and it comes with a DVD of their videos. Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez formed The Mars Volta. They released six albums and split up in 2012. They were a progressive rock band. Ward, Hinojos and Hajjar formed the hardcore band Sparta. They released three albums and went on hiatus. All the At The Drive-In members except Ward reunited in 2012. Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez were blaming each other for the Mars Volta split. But that was resolved and At The Drive-In toured in 2015 and released an album in 2017. They went on hiatus in 2018. Bixler-Zavala was having problems with his voice and that may have led to the hiatus. Meanwhile Ward still leads Sparta and they just released a new album. Here's the video for One Armed Scissor by At The Drive-In.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Cortney Casey vs Mara Romero Borella.
Here's the match video of Cortney Casey vs Mara Romero Borella from last night's UFC show in Jacksonville. Cortney has fought for the UFC at Strawweight for a few years. She trains at MMA Lab in Phoenix. She's a midcard fighter. This is her first fight at Flyweight. Mara is from Italy but she trains at American Top Team in Florida. She came to the UFC as a late replacement in 2017. Typically I don't think she belongs in the UFC. She gets on top of Cortney. But she needs to pay attention as Cortney is going for her arm. After a couple of adjustments, Cortney gets the armbar and that's it. Cortney got a bonus for that. And Mara should get a one way trip to Palookaville. Obviously I would like to see Cortney face better competition. Enjoy the video!
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Claudia Gadelha vs Angela Hill
Here's the match video of Claudia Gadelha vs Angela Hill from last night's UFC show in Jacksonville. I said on Friday's podcast that Claudia needed a dominant win. Anything else doesn't help her. She's an elite fighter but lacks endurance and fight IQ. She is now training with Mark Henry and the jury is still out if that will get her over the hump. Angela is on a three fight winning streak against low level competition. That's why she isn't ranked. I scored round one 10-9 for Claudia and so did all three judges. But I thought Claudia took too long to get a takedown and I thought she may have pooped herself out. That was confirmed in round two when Angela controlled the striking exchanges and even scored a knockdown though I don't know why she didn't pounce on her and try and get a finish. I scored round two 10-9 for Angela and so did all three judges. I thought that if Angela fought round three the way she fought round two, she could win the fight. It also looked like Claudia was too tired to go for a takedown. But she did hang in there in the striking exchanges though Angela should have the edge. I scored the round 9-9. I didn't think either of them did enough to win. So I scored the fight a draw. Judges are not encouraged to score tie rounds which is why you don't see them. Two judges scored the round 10-9 for Claudia and the other scored it 10-9 for Angela. So Claudia won by split decision. It doesn't matter because only a dominant win helps Claudia get closer to the title. Her lack of endurance is still her biggest problem. Afterwards Claudia called out Carla Esparza who she beat by split decision a couple of years ago. Carla accused her of greasing. This feud goes back to when they were supposed to fight in Invicta and Claudia got sick and pulled out. Invicta owner Shannon Knapp stupidly allowed Carla to address the crowd. And like with her idiotic greasing accusations, Carla looked very foolish. Neither fighter did themselves much good though they both won recently. They might as well fight each other. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wanda Jackson
Song:Right or Wrong
Album:Let's Have A Party: The Very Best of Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson is a country music legend known as The Queen of Rockabilly. She had three top ten country hits including Right or Wrong in 1961. Her music career was revived in the 80s and she was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. She was born Oct. 20, 1937 in Maud, OK. Her father was a musician and he moved the family to Bakersfield, CA in the 40s. He bought Wanda a guitar and took her to see Spade Cooley and Bob Wills. Her family moved to Oklahoma City in 1948. Wanda won a 1956 talent contest which got her a local radio show. She was still in high school when Hank Thompson heard her on the radio and invited her to perform with his band. A single Wanda recorded with Thompson's musical director Billy Gray You Can't Have My Love was a top ten country hit. But Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson refused to sign her. He told her "Girls don't sell records". She signed with Decca instead but after touring with Elvis Presley, Capitol signed Wanda in 1956. She briefly dated Elvis. Wanda was a regular on the ABC TV show Ozark Jubilee. Her 1961 single Right or Wrong was a top ten country hit. It reached #9 on the Country Singles chart. It was followed by In The Middle of a Heartache which reached #6. Unlike Wanda's usual Rockabilly, these were ballads. After that success, Wanda went in a more mainstream country direction and stayed there in the 60s. You can get all of her hits on this Varese budget comp. Ronnie Dove's 1964 cover of Right or Wrong was a top 20 pop hit. Wanda's singles charted until she became a born again Christian in 1971. Capitol dropped her and Wanda recorded gospel albums for Word's Myrrh label in the 70s. In the 80s Wanda was invited to record Rockabilly in Europe and that led to a career revival. Female singers like Cyndi Lauper and Rosanne Cash acknowledged Wanda as an influence. She continued to tour and record. Wanda's husband and manager Wendell Goodman died in 2017. After a 2018 stroke, Wanda announced her retirement Mar. 2020. However, she says she is working on a final album produced by Joan Jett. Wanda Jackson was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Here's Wanda Jackson performing Right or Wrong at the eTown Hall in Boulder, CO Feb. 2014.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar D'Leon
Song:Me Voy Pa Cali
Album:The Greatest Salsa Ever
Oscar D'Leon is a singer, bassist and bandleader known as The Lion of Salsa. I guess the odd thing about him is he is from Venezuela and most salsa artists are probably from Puerto Rico or Cuba. He was born July 11, 1943 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was interested in percussion as a child and he started playing the bass. D'Leon's main influences are legendary Cuban bandleader Beny More, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri. He started out working as a taxi driver during the day and playing in clubs at night. He formed La Dimension Latina in 1972. At first D'Leon just played bass. But when the singer left the band, he took that over and he's been doing that now for decades. He's been a solo artist since 1976. Me Voy Pa Cali is from the 1991 album El Rey de Los Soneros. The song was written by Colombian bandleader Gabriel Romero. Plenty of artists have recorded it but most of then change Cali to some other location. I suppose D'Leon could have changed it to Me Voy Pa Caracas. This 2CD budget comp is a good intro to his music. D'Leon celebrated his 50th anniversary in music in 2015. At the time he was still performing but he last recorded new music in 1996. It looks like he may have retired in 2016. He suffered several heart attacks over the years. And his website is kaput. If you're a salsa fan, be sure to check out Oscar D'Leon. Here's Oscar D'Leon performing Me Voy Pa Cali on Venezuelan TV 1992.
Friday, May 15, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ryan Malcolm
Song:Something More
Album:Home
Ryan Malcolm won season one of Canadian Idol in 2003. You didn't know there was a Canadian Idol? It's been franchised everywhere. I have always said that Idol is a double edged sword. Winning doesn't always convert to pop music stardom. Malcolm topped the Canadian charts with Something More released right after he won. But he only released one album and then formed the band Low Level Flight. He was born Oct. 13, 1979 in Kingston, ON and he grew up in nearby Amherstview. His dad and step-mom opened a restaurant in Napanee. Malcolm performed with his father. His brother Reagan joined and they were called A Bit of Nostalgia. They must have been a cover band. Malcolm attended the same high school in Napanee as Avril Lavigne. Then he auditioned for Canadian Idol and he won. After Something More topped the Canadian charts, the album Home was released. It was certified Platinum in Canada. Perry Alexander produced Something More and three other songs on the album. He had produced BMG Canada artist Shawn Desman. He usually works with his brother Adam Alexander (piano) and Chris Perry (guitar). They wrote Something More with veteran producer Rupert Gayle and they played on the album. After his Canadian Idol commitments, Malcolm formed the band Low Level Flight in 2006. They released two albums and then split up in 2013. Malcolm is a real estate agent and he has just released a music video for the film Age of Dysphoria starring Canadian acting legend Gordon Pinsent. Canadian Idol ran for six seasons. It doesn't look like any of the winners were successful long term. That's why Idol is a double edged sword. That brief success doesn't usually last. Here's the video for Something More by Ryan Malcolm. Sorry about the poor quality. It's the only copy I could find.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Big Bad blog Video Theater-Sijara Eubanks vs Sarah Moras
Here's the match video of Sijara Eubanks vs Sarah Moras from last night's UFC show in Jacksonville. Somebody asked me yesterday who would win this fight. I said the loser would probably get cut. Both needed a win. Sijara won fairly easily. Sarah made some mistakes and that just made things worse. I scored it 30-27 for Sijara and so did all three judges. I guess we need to see how she does against better competition. Enjoy the video!
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Britt Baker vs Kris Statlander vs Penelope Ford
Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Britt Baker vs Kris Statlander vs Penelope Ford from last night's episode of AEW Dynamite. The winner of this match gets a shot at Nyla Rose's AEW Women's Championship at the Double or Nothing PPV. With these kind of matches timing is always a problem. Too many wrestlers stand around waiting for their next cue. The usual formula is there is a pin attempt and it gets broken up. The finish had Britt and Kris on the floor while inside Penelope's fiancee Kip Sabian grabbed Hikaru. She got out of that and pinned Penelope. Meanwhile Britt had the mandible claw on Kris on the floor. That part was dumb. So Hikaru gets the title shot and Britt vs Kris will also be on the show. Included here is a backstage segment where Nyla finds Hikaru's kendo stick and hits her over the head. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Club D'Elf
Song:Mogador
Album:Electric Moroccoland
If you're looking for something different, Club D'Elf could be for you. They are a mix of jazz, electronica and world music. The 2011 album Electric Moroccoland has a Moroccan vibe. Club D'Elf are from Boston led by bassist Mike Rivard. He is a sideman and session musician as are the other musicians. They come and go as they are available. Rivard was in bands like Either/Orchestra, The Story and Morphine. He started Club D'Elf in 2000 and they played mostly at Boston's Lizard Lounge. They released their first album in 2000. Mogador is from the 2011 album Electric Moroccoland. This was first released as a 2CD set with the album So Below. But in 2018 Electric Moroccoland was released as a digital download on its own. The core musicians of Club D'Elf include Brahim Fribgane on oud and percussion, Reeves Gabrels on guitar and Dave Tronzo on slide guitar. Fribgane adds much of the Moroccan influence. Gabrels is best known for his days with David Bowie's Tin Machine in the 80s and 90s. Tronzo is a member of the jazz group Spanish Fly and he does a lot of sessions. Others include French keyboard player Alain Mallet who was also in The Story and John Madeski of Madeski, Martin and Wood. Their latest album Live at Club Helsinki was released in 2017. They still perform regularly at Lizard Lounge so as I said, recording depends on musician availability. Here's the video for Mogador by Club D'Elf.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gaudi
Song:Mainoo Ole Bai Ke Pee Lain De
Album:Dub Qawwali
Italian producer Daniele Gaudi is mostly a remix guy and producer. When he occasionally records as Gaudi it's a collaboration with a specific musician. On this 2007 album it is Pakistani music legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He was born July 12, 1963 in Bologna, Italy. He started out in early 80s New Wave bands and then he joined the reggae band Bamboo Company and that started him in world music. He was also in Raptus, the first Italian hip hop group. He mixed dancehall reggae with electronics and called it Ragamuffin music. So that was a launching point for experimenting with all kinds of music. He released his first solo album in 1991. He became very successful in Italy and then he moved to London in 1995. He built his own studio and he does whatever he wants. As a producer he has worked with everyone from Desmond Dekker to Bill Frisell. And he still does plenty of remixes. On this 2007 album, Gaudi is collaborating with Pakistani music legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. So obviously the music is a mix of Khan's Qawwali and Gaudi's electronic dance beats. This album was very successful in clubs. Gaudi's latest album is with dub reggae producer Neil "Mad Professor" Fraser called Mad Professor Meets Gaudi. He has also recorded with Martin "Youth" Glover of Killing Joke and the French ambient music duo Deep Forest. And he has released a dub tribute to legendary Italian film composer Ennio Morricone. So he records a lot. Here's a video for Mainoo Ole Bai Ke Pee Lain De by Gaudi + Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Hedges
Song:Two Days Old
Album:Platinum & Gold Collection
Though he hated the New Age term, guitarist Michael Hedges was a big part of establishing the market for New Age on Windham Hill Records in the 80s. Two Days Old is from his 1981 debut album Breakfast in the Field. He was born Dec. 31, 1953 in Sacramento, CA. Hedges studied classical guitar at Phillips University in Enid, OK and he was a composition major at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. While in Baltimore, he was in the folk rock group The Lotus Band. He also performed solo. He planned to return to California and study music at Stanford. But Windham Hill Records owner Will Ackerman saw Hedges perform at The Varsity Theater in Palo Alto and immediately signed him to a record deal written on a napkin. Ackerman is a guitarist and he founded Windham Hill in 1975 after finding there is a market in California record stores for instrumental music that isn't jazz or easy listening. In the 80s they were the foremost source for what became New Age music led by pianist George Winston. Hedges 1981 debut album Breakfast in the Field was a big part of establishing the market for New Age though as I said, Hedges didn't think of himself in those terms. Winston played piano on the album along with bassist Michael Manring who toured with Hedges. I would describe Hedges' music as a mix of classical and folk very similar to John Martyn or Leo Kottke. Hedges acknowledged Martyn and Martin Carthy as influences. Though Windham Hill was mostly an instrumental label, Hedges convinced Ackerman to let him sing on the 1985 album Watching My Life Go By. Windham Hill had a second label Private Music for music that was not New Age. The Windham Hill formula was very successful until the label was sold to RCA in 1993. Sony closed Windham Hill in 2007. Michael Hedges died in a car accident on Dec. 2, 1997 at age 43. His 1997 album Oracle won a Grammy after his death. This comp is a good intro to his music. Here's Michael Hedges performing Two Days Old at The Varsity Theater in Palo Alto.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka wins 2020 Money In The Bank
Here is the video of the 2020 Money In The Bank match. I told you guys on Friday's podcast that Asuka would win. So this match was taped at Titan Tower in Stamford, CT. They decided to run the men's and women's matches within the same match. They may have thought running them separately would be too long. They introduce the wrestlers in the lobby. Where's Asuka? She leaps from the balcony and takes all the girls out. Then she hops into the elevator. The other girls take the stairs to catch up to her. They run into the guys fighting in the elevator. Asuka hides in the other elevator and then she looks for the stairway to the roof. She asks a janitor for directions but of course he doesn't understand Japanese. She gets to the roof followed by Nia Jax and Lacey Evans. The other three girls never make it to the roof. The three are fighting and Asuka goes up the ladder. Meanwhile Baron Corbin arrives and also heads up the ladder. When he tries to grab the briefcase, Asuka slaps him and kicks him off the ladder. Asuka wins the 2020 Money In The Bank. Did you know she is 3-0 in ladder matches? As long as you don't try to apply logic, this match was entertaining. I thought Asuka was given a great game plan to outsmart the other girls and get the briefcase. She was a step ahead of them all the way up. WWE RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch will be on RAW tonight to respond to Asuka's win. And I fully expect Asuka to dance with the briefcase which is why she won. Keep in mind there are rumors that Becky is going Hollywood and may not be a full time wrestler anymore. We'll see what happens tonight. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dr. Hook
Song:When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
Album:Collection
Dr. Hook were one of the most popular groups of the 70s. Their success at first was with songs written by legendary humorist Shel Silverstein. In 1975 they switched labels and became a more conventional country rock band. The 1979 single When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman was their biggest hit but not their most memorable song. They were called The Chocolate Papers when Ray Sawyer, George Cummings and Billy Francis started the band in the mid 60s in Alabama. Cummings, Sawyer and Francis moved to Union City, NJ and they added lead singer Dennis Locorriere. The name Dr. Hook was because Sawyer lost an eye in a 1967 car crash and he wore an eyepatch. The full name was Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Drummer John David was added to the band. The way they got a record deal was producer Ron Haffkine was working on the film Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? with Shel Silverstein. After listening to Dr. Hook's demo, Silverstein thought they would be perfect for the film. Haffkine got them a deal with Columbia. The band's early hits like Sylvia's Mother and The Cover of the Rolling Stone were written by Silverstein and produced by Haffkine. After things went south at Columbia, Dr. Hook shortened their name in 1975 and moved to Capitol. By this time David was replaced by John Wolters and Cummings was replaced by Rik Elswit and Bob Henke. They weren't working with Silverstein anymore so Dr. Hook became a conventional country rock band. Top ten hits included Only Sixteen (1976), Sharing The Night Together (1978) and Sexy Eyes (1979). When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman is from the 1978 album Pleasure & Pain. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the British charts which is why it's their biggest hit. The album was recorded at Muscle Shoals. Even Stevens followed Haffkine to the studio bathroom to pitch him the song. Stevens released an album on Elektra in 1977. But mostly he wrote a lot of songs with country singer Eddie Rabbit. Dr. Hook moved to Casablanca in 1980. Sawyer left in 1983 and they split up in 1985. This 2CD comp has Columbia and Capitol hits. Locorriere owns the Dr. Hook name so he has continued to tour. Sawyer was given a license to use the name. He toured from 1988-2015 and he died in 2018. Here's Dr. Hook performing When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman on The Midnight Special 1979.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson
Here's the match video of Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson from last night's UFC show in Jacksonville. These are supposed to be two of the top contenders in the Strawweight division. So on paper it seems like a good fight. But neither of them did enough to win the fight. I always talk about that there should be a an option to declare a no contest for lack of action. Of course the ref can also warn fighters if there isn't enough action but most refs won't do that. I wouldn't give either of them a title shot based on this fight. Michelle's strategy was typical Jackson Wink. They think she's more effective working at a distance. On the other hand, Carla is more effective getting takedowns and grinding out a win. Carla's coach Colin Oyama tried to get her to do that but she just didn't want to take a risk. So a split decision was inevitable. I scored round one 9-9. They were dancing around for five minutes. Carla got a takedown at the end of the round but I won't reward her for that. Two of the judges score the round 10-9 for Carla so they did reward her for a meaningless takedown. I scored round two 10-9 for Michelle and round three 10-9 for Carla. So I scored it a draw or a no contest due to ineffectiveness. Neither deserved a win. The judges scorecards were interesting. One judge scored it 30-27 for Michelle. The second judge scored it 30-27 for Carla. And the third scored it 29-28 for Carla. So that takedown at the end of round one is what ultimately won Carla the fight. Obviously she should have done more of that which is what Oyama told her to do. Listen to your damn coach. It's easy to blame the judges but that's why I am an advocate of tie rounds and refs admonishing fighters for ineffectiveness. Neither fighter deserved the win. As Schwan Humes and I discussed on a recent podcast, this is the kind of fight that sours fans on WMMA. Check out the fight video for yourself.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Arnold
Song:Target Terminated
Album:Quantum of Solace: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
David Arnold is best known as the composer of several recent James Bond films including the 2008 film Quantum of Solace. He is a Grammy and Emmy winner. He was born Jan. 23, 1962 in Luton, England. He learned scoring by volunteering to score student films at the National Film and Television School. Danny Cannon was one of those students. Arnold scored Cannon's 1993 debut feature Young Americans. He produced the Bjork hit single Play Dead. Arnold went to Los Angeles and scored the 1994 film Stargate for director Roland Emmerich. He went on to score Emmerich's films Independence Day and Godzilla. So that got him established. He released the 1997 album Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project. This was an album of James Bond covers by pop artists like David McAlmont and Propellerheads. The album did well in England and veteran James Bond composer John Barry liked the album. He recommended Arnold to Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Arnold was hired to score the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies. Arnold has scored five Bond films including Quantim of Solace in 2008. He did not score the 2012 film Skyfall. The director of that film Sam Mendes preferred his favorite composer Thomas Newman. Besides at the time Arnold was working with Danny Boyle on the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The next Bond film No Time To Die will be scored by Hans Zimmer. Arnold won an Emmy for his music from the BBC series Sherlock. And he won a Grammy for Independence Day. His most recent work is the Amazon BBC series Good Omens created by Neil Gaiman. He also composed the Score for the 2019 remake of Shaft. Here's a video for Target Terminated from the 2008 film Quantum of Solace.
Saturday, May 09, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eddie & Oscar
Song:Nok-Em All
Album:Too Late Too Late Vol. 4 1892-1937
Here's a one off blues record that will be of interest to fans of steel guitar pioneer Oscar "Buddy" Woods because it doesn't show up in his discography. Woods performed with Ed Schaffer as the Shreveport Home Wreckers. Woods was born in Natchitoches, LA. We're not sure what year, probably 1900. He moved to Shreveport in 1925 and he was a street musician. Apparently he saw a Hawaiian guitarist playing a guitar on his lap in the bottleneck style. Woods taught himself to play guitar that way. He was the first blues musician to do that. Woods was known as The Lone Wolf. He got together with Ed Schaffer and they performed in local clubs as the Shreveport Home Wreckers. Schaffer sang and also played guitar and kazoo. Woods played the steel guitar. After recording a record as the Shreveport Home Wreckers in 1930, they backed up Jimmie Davis on a 1932 recording session for RCA. After recording four songs, I guess there was time left on the session. Woods asked if they could record as the Shreveport Home Wreckers. Davis agreed to this but he told them RCA wouldn't allow them to use the name. So they called themselves Eddie & Oscar. The two songs they recorded were written by Davis. Woods continued to record in the 30s for Vocalion and he later led The Wampus Cats. Document Records compiled most of Woods' recordings on the 1987 CD The Lone Wolf 1930-1938. But the Eddie & Oscar recordings aren't on this CD. You can get those on this 1997 odds and ends CD. Woods returned to performing as a street musician in the 40s. He died on Dec. 14, 1955. Schaffer went on to record as Dizzy Head. Here's a video of Nok-Em All by Eddie & Oscar.
Friday, May 08, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Ruby Riott
Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Ruby Riott from this week's episode of WWE Main Event which airs in foreign markets. Excuse the Spanish commentary. It's unfortunate that most fans won't see this match because the WWE have been jobbing both of them out lately. They deserve better. It's a good back and forth match. The turning point comes when Ruby lands a senton and Kairi kicks out. And Ruby is incredulous like when she recently lost to Liv Morgan. That allows Kairi to recover and after an Alabama Slam, she wins with the Insane Elbow. I just think putting this match on Main Event is a waste. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Status Quo
Song:Pictures of Matchstick Men
Album:The Status Quo Story
The 1968 psychedelic classic Pictures of Matchstick Men was the biggest international hit for The Status Quo. They have continued to have success at home in England and they are still around. When the band was formed in 1962 by lead guitarist Francis Rossi and bassist and lead singer Alan Lancaster, they were called The Scorpions. They were classmates in the Catford district of London. Drummer John Coughlan joined in 1963 and the group name was changed to The Spectres. Keyboard player Roy Lynes joined in 1965 and guitarist Rick Parfitt was added in 1967. They released a couple of singles that went nowhere. Then they got into psychedelia and called themselves Traffic and then Traffic Jam. After Parfitt joined the band, the name was changed to The Status Quo. They signed with Pye Records in England. They were on the Chess owned label Cadet Concept in the US. Pictures of Matchstick Men was the first single from the 1968 album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo. The record reached #7 on the British Singles chart and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The most memorable element of the song is Rossi's guitar riff which is repeated several times. Rossi claims he wrote the Pictures of Matchstick Men while sitting on the toilet. He says he would sit there for hours just to be alone. He was avoiding his wife and mother in law. Ice In The Sun was The Status Quo's only other chart single in the US. After their second album was unsuccessful, they changed their name to Status Quo and became a hard rock boogie band. Bob Young was brought in as tour manager but he also played harmonica and wrote songs. Young and Rossi wrote the 1974 single Down Down which topped the British charts. This 2CD budget comp has all their hits. Rossi continues to lead Status Quo. A new album Backbone was released last year. Since Rick Parfitt died in 2016, Rossi is the only original member remaining in Status Quo. After leaving Status Quo in 1985, Alan Lancaster moved to Australia and formed The Bombers which included Status Quo drummer John Coughlan. They signed with A&M but after their 1988 album, A&M was sold to PolyGram and they were dropped. Here's The Status Quo performing Pictures of Matchstick Men on Top Of The Pops 1968.
Thursday, May 07, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Charlotte Flair
Here's the match video of Charlotte Flair defending her NXT Women's Championship against Io Shirai from last night's episode of NXT. It's a pretty good match except for the finish. The real problem with this match was the lame brained shortsighted decision to put this belt on Charlotte at Wrestlemania in the first place. Supposedly this was done because the WWE thought that Charlotte could help the NXT ratings. So what do they do after a misguided decision like that? How the hell are they supposed to get the belt off her once she has it? The answer is they shouldn't have put it on her in the first place. And that's why this match ends with a lame DQ finish when Charlotte hit Io with a kendo stick. The match was fairly even up to that point. I thought they were just getting going and they could have gone another ten minutes. The size difference didn't matter as Io can hold her own with anyone. And BTW, the size difference is much wider than how Beth Phoenix described it on commentary. Charlotte is almost a foot taller than Io and about 40 pounds heavier. After the finish, Rhea Ripley runs Charlotte off. Io is not happy to see her. So I guess we're going to see a match between those two. And I'd prefer to see those two wrestle for the title. So again, it all goes back to the very stupid and unnecessary decision to put the belt on Charlotte. The NXT women's division does not need Charlotte Flair. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brian Wilson
Song:Surf's Up
Album:Brian Wilson Presents Smile
Of course most music fans know Brian Wilson as the leader of The Beach Boys. You probably know that he quit touring with them in 1965 and was replaced by Bruce Johnston. He continued to record at home. That's where Pet Sounds was recorded. Then he met the equally enigmatic composer Van Dyke Parks and they started to write and record the album Smile. It's not clear what Wilson's plans were because the album was cancelled before completion. Some of the songs like Surf's Up surfaced as Beach Boys songs. And there was even a Beach Boys album called Smile. But for many years fans speculated on what Brian Wilson's album Smile was supposed to be. The idea to revisit Smile came after the 2002 album Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live. Darian Sahanaja of Wilson's band helped him complete and re-record the original tracks. Parks was brought in because Wilson couldn't remember a lot of the original songs. So Sahanaja did much of the coordination trying to figure out what Wilson wanted to include on the album. Once the basic tracks were finished, Wilson and his band which is mostly Sahanaja and his band Wondermints performed Smile on Feb. 20, 2004 at Royal Festival Hall in London. Paul McCartney and George Martin were among those in attendance. This concert was filmed for DVD release and it can be streamed on Youtube. Then Wilson and the band returned to the studio and recorded the album. Brian Wilson Presents Smile was released on Nonesuch Sept. 2004. Wilson toured to support it. The album was well received and it even won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. Showtime broadcast the documentary Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile that was part of a 2DVD release which also included an all star tribute to Wilson. That's out of print but the doc can be streamed on Youtube. The album is available as a budget CD. Wilson continues to record and he toured last year. Here's Brian Wilson performing Surf's Up 2004. I think this is from the DVD release and the full concert can be viewed on Youtube.
Wednesday, May 06, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra
Song:Love Is Blue
Album:Love Is Blue
Love Is Blue topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1968. It was a fluke hit for French composer Paul Mauriat who recorded easy listening music for decades. He was very popular in Europe. He was born Mar. 4, 1925 in Marseille, France. His father was a postal worker who played piano and loved classical music. Mauriat played piano as a child and entered the Marseille conservatory at age ten. He led his own dance band in the 40s. In the 50s he was musical director and he toured with Charles Aznavour and Maurice Chevalier. He first recorded in 1957 and he recorded several albums of instrumental music through the 60s along with composing music for French films. His first US chart success was when his song Chariot got English lyrics and was turned into the Little Peggy March hit I Will Follow Him. Love Is Blue was written by French composers Andre Popp and Pierre Cour. Bryan Blackburn wrote English lyrics for the song and a recording by Vicky Leandros was entered in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. Meanwhile Mauriat's instrumental cover of Love Is Blue reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 and stayed there for five weeks. I don't know why it was a hit. Obviously I have written about fluke hit singles in the past. I guess some radio DJ liked it. Al Martino charted with his cover of Love Is Blue. A couple of Mauriat's other recordings charted like the theme for the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Mauriat continued to record and tour until he retired in 1998. He was especially popular in Japan and he recorded for the Japanese label Pony Canyon. This budget comp from the British label Spectrum is a good intro to Mauriat's music. Mauriat's orchestra continued after his retirement. But they ceased after his death on Nov. 3, 2006 at age 81. Here's Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra performing Love Is Blue 1983.
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